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Introduction to Azure

Welcome to the foundational guide for Microsoft Azure. This documentation provides a comprehensive overview of Azure's capabilities, core services, and fundamental concepts to help you get started with cloud computing.

What is Azure? Azure is a cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of services, including computing, analytics, storage, and networking. It allows you to build, deploy, and manage applications and services through Microsoft-managed data centers.

In this section, you will learn about:

  • The benefits of cloud computing.
  • Azure's global infrastructure.
  • The different types of Azure services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
  • Key Azure terminology.

Azure Core Concepts

Understanding the fundamental building blocks of Azure is crucial for effective use. These concepts underpin all Azure services and deployments.

  • Resources: Any manageable item in Azure (e.g., virtual machines, storage accounts, virtual networks).
  • Resource Groups: A logical container that holds related Azure resources for a solution.
  • Subscriptions: A logical container for Azure services that are associated with an individual or organization's usage agreement.
  • Azure Portal: A web-based interface for managing Azure resources.

Azure Regions and Availability Zones

Azure's global presence is organized into regions, which are data centers located around the world. Availability Zones within a region provide high availability for your applications.

  • Regions: Geographically distinct areas where Azure services are hosted.
  • Availability Zones: Physically separate locations within an Azure region that provide fault tolerance.
  • Region Pairs: Pairs of regions that are physically distant but close enough to support replication.

Azure Resource Manager (ARM)

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is the deployment and management service for Azure. It provides a management layer that enables you to create, update, and delete resources in your Azure account.

Key features of ARM include:

  • Declarative deployment: Define your infrastructure in template files (JSON).
  • Consistent management: Manage all your resources through a single, unified management layer.
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Control who can perform actions on which resources.

You can use ARM templates to define the infrastructure for your applications.


{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": { ... },
  "variables": { ... },
  "resources": [ ... ]
}

Azure Virtual Machines

Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) provide on-demand, scalable computing resources. You can use VMs to deploy and run applications in the cloud, similar to how you would use on-premises servers.

  • VM Sizes: Choose from a wide range of VM sizes optimized for different workloads.
  • Operating Systems: Deploy Windows Server, Linux, and other popular OSes.
  • Scalability: Easily scale your VMs up or down as needed.

Azure Storage

Azure Storage offers a massively scalable and secure cloud storage solution for a wide variety of data.

  • Blob Storage: For unstructured data like images, documents, and videos.
  • File Storage: Managed file shares accessible via SMB and NFS protocols.
  • Queue Storage: For reliable message queuing between application components.
  • Table Storage: For semi-structured NoSQL data.

Azure Networking

Azure Virtual Network (VNet) is the fundamental building block for your private network in Azure. It enables Azure resources, like VMs, to securely communicate with each other, the internet, and on-premises networks.

  • Virtual Networks: Isolate your cloud resources.
  • Subnets: Divide your VNet into smaller address spaces.
  • Network Security Groups (NSGs): Filter network traffic.
  • Load Balancers: Distribute traffic across multiple instances.

Azure Security

Azure provides a comprehensive set of security features to protect your data and applications.

  • Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): Identity and access management.
  • Network Security: Firewalls, NSGs, and DDoS protection.
  • Data Protection: Encryption at rest and in transit.
  • Security Center: Unified security management and threat protection.

Cost Management

Effectively managing your Azure costs is essential. Azure provides tools to monitor, analyze, and optimize your cloud spending.

  • Azure Cost Management + Billing: Track and manage your Azure costs.
  • Budgets: Set spending limits and receive alerts.
  • Recommendations: Identify opportunities for cost savings.